Community Catalyst for
Excellence in Education
CENTRALIA COLLEGE FOUNDATION
A publication of the Centralia College Foundation
October 2014 Vol. 7 No. 2
A conversation with Centralia College’s new president,
Dr. Robert Frost
Tell us a little about your background.
M
y father was a Marine fighter pilot from Texas and my mother a
school teacher from Colorado. We moved a lot when I was a kid,
from Texas to California, North Carolina, elementary school in
Connecticut, junior high in Ohio, and then finished high school in Kansas.
My older sister teaches at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
and my (six-foot-tall) little brother is a vice president for an agri-business
company in Chicago.
As you can imagine, my dad was pretty strict, but my mom was full of
second chances, so somehow we thrived through the moves and adventures,
learned a lot of new accents, and I think we all have an appreciation and even
patriotism for the diversity and greatness of our country. I was a late bloomer
academically. I barely got to college and then took five years to finish, mostly
due to working part-time jobs and not really understanding what I was
supposed to be doing or learning!
As a younger kid, I liked the woods, exploring, and building. So, in my
idealized childhood memory, I am in the woods, building a treehouse, and
there is no authority figure telling me that if I decide to put the rope swing
THERE, I will inevitably crash into THAT tree on the other side of the
creek. I was not the greatest rope swing engineer but was lucky to make it
through youth without serious injury.
Dr. Robert Frost
In addition to walking uphill to school in the snow both ways, we started
working pretty young in my family. I threw papers for a few years, bussed
tables in a family restaurant, mowed roughs on a golf course, flipped burgers
at McDonald's (but I sure preferred cooking breakfasts)…let’s see…then
went on to construction labor and then assembler/welder to make money for
college. I was lucky enough to meet my future wife, LaDona, in college, and
she gave me a clearer sense of purpose as we were finishing up college.
(Continued inside)
O
n Sept. 18, the Centralia
College Foundation, with the
support of its generous donors,
set another record year for scholarships
to Centralia College students.
Scholarship
Night sets a
new record
The annual Scholarship Night
celebration saw the awarding of more
than $740,000 in scholarships, grants,
tuition waivers, and financial aid. Of
the 328 total students who received
an award, 291 are seeking a two-year
degree or certificate and 37 are seeking a
bachelor’s degree.
Corbet Theatre was at capacity (500 seats)
with family and friends of scholarship
recipients sharing in the momentous
occasion. Guests heard from scholarship
recipients about the impact scholarships
had on their lives. Guests also heard from
the Nupen family about the importance of
supporting education at Centralia College
through the creation of the Nupen Family
Endowment for scholarships.
As the foundation looks to the
coming year, the needs for students
are only increasing. The foundation is
responding by focusing even more on
raising scholarship dollars for student
success at Centralia College.
To learn how you can support the
students at Centralia College, please
contact the foundation office at 360736-9391, ext. 290, or at foundation@
centralia.edu.
Carolyn Aadland presents the
Gordon Aadland Endowed
Scholarship to Clayton Easley.
The Nupen family presents the
first Nupen Family Scholarship to
Joshua Closner (center).
T
he son of a civil
engineer, Christopher
Martin remembers going
to work with his dad and
enjoying the precision
of engineering.
Christopher
Martin
Scholarship
Spotlight
“I’ve always wanted to be an
engineer,” he said. “I love
problem-solving and I really
want things to be exact.
I also love the math and
science involved.”
Christopher is a 2014
recipient of the National
Science Foundation’s
Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math
Scholarship. He was the
2014 valedictorian of
Centralia High School and is
working towards his transfer
degree at Centralia College.
Having a scholarship helps
him save money for his
bachelor’s and master’s
degrees, and motivates him
to keep working hard.
“Receiving a scholarship
takes a tremendous load off
my shoulders,” Christopher
said. “I can now spend less
time worrying about how
I’m going to pay for college
and more time actually
focusing on my studies.”
A Converstaion with Dr. Robert Frost
(continued from front)
What drew you to Centralia College?
I applied to Centralia College for what I saw as an ideal mix of very
successful college history in one of the oldest two-year colleges in
the country, rural spaces, a deep-seated loyalty and support system
between the college and the community, and then just the integrity,
commitment, and professionalism I saw within the college itself.
People here take care of each other, and for me, that is the most
important value we can have as a learning community: the ability
to feel safe when we take risks, share a creative thought, or make
tough decisions together. I felt that support as I went through the
interview process.
Finally, I saw the Centralia-Chehalis area as a very welcoming place
for my family and see the Washington higher education system as
having many opportunities for my daughters, as well.
Dr. Frost with his wife, LaDona
What experience do you bring to Centralia College?
Having worked in community colleges since 1989, other than
a two-year stint as a community college leadership professor at
Oregon State University, I am very committed to this model and
the students we support.
In addition to work experience, my research and scholarship is based
on rural colleges and communities, but also on the challenges small
communities face in a rapidly globalizing and interconnected society.
Even though small communities have greater challenges in addressing
technological and economic challenges, we also have closely-knit
relationships and values that provide great advantages, especially in a
family and sustainability context.
Overall, I worked in community colleges that have worked through
colossal challenges, so I hope my previous experience will help the
college and community thrive and grow for years to come.
Dr. Robert Frost contemplating a skull during STEM Academy 2014.
Erika
Brower
Scholarship
Spotlight
E
rika Brower knows the
secret to her success is
hard work.
anyone else in my class to
make sure I succeed,”
she said.
She graduated from Centralia
High School in 2013 with a
3.80 GPA and has excelled in
athletics and 4-H.
Erika was chosen for the
Altrusa Club of CentraliaChehalis and Ercel Davis
endowed scholarships. She
plans to use the funds to
finish her associate degree at
Centralia College.
“I may not be the smartest
person in the world, but I
know I work harder than
Though she’s not sure what
career path she will take,
she knows education is the
perfect place to start.
“Without your help,
attending and paying for
myself to go to Centralia
College would be so difficult,”
she said. “The scholarships
mean so much to me.”
What is your focus this year at Centralia College?
This year, I really want to get to know the students and employees
within the college, the community leaders, and learn from them what
is the shared vision for our future. Already I hear support for and
ideas about how to grow our enrollments, develop a more diverse and
“residential” college, and how we can better partner with the various
groups like the Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development
Council, Port Authority, Workforce Development Council, but also
with our partners in public schools. Staff members at the college are in
conversations with school leaders across the college service area on how
we can strengthen our partnerships to increase college attendance, and
college success. My first year begins with students’ needs, getting to
know what people think, and then helping to chart the course that is
our future.
Where do you see Centralia College in 10 years?
In many ways, the college will be similar to what we are today: a great
and thriving college. In 10 years, we will have more students who
have moved here to go to college. We will have more programs with a
“statewide” reputation that serve to attract students to learn, and stay,
in our area. There will be tighter connections between college studies
and applied internships. All this will help the college and community
grow in sync with one another. Perhaps more important for me is the
intersection of college and community in 10 years. I see Centralia
College continuing to be a very close partner in planning, and
supporting, our communities’ future.
Dr. Frost and LaDona
What do you enjoy in your free time?
As a family, we like to explore new places, beaches, natural wonders.
When I can talk them into it, I like visiting art, history, and most
any other museum with my family (but often I do this on my own
when traveling!). There is always tinkering, painting, yard work, and
all the other chores associated with a house that never seem done, but
I enjoy the ability to lose myself in chores at home at least for a few
hours each week.
A few years back, we did a lot of bicycling, touring with other
families, and that is something I greatly enjoyed, too. LaDona is a
great musician (trumpet, piano, Andean and African instruments)
and I am a bit of a drummer and guitar player, but have found little
time in recent years except for those 15-30 minute “timeouts” that we
all find rare, yet highly therapeutic!
I guess what I do most in my downtime is the exploratory learning
that I never had time for when I was in school. Whether it is PBS, or
Googling a person or place I have heard about, there always seems to
be a question I want to answer when I have that extra time to search
for it.
Dr. Frost with LaDona, and their daughters, Lauren (left) and Zoë
Dr. Frost with LaDona, and their daughters, Lauren and Zoë
On the red carpet, guests posed for paparazzi photos. Pictured (left to right):
Lee Stevens, LaDona Frost, Dr. Robert Frost, Doris O’Neill, Bob O’Neill, and Bill Schulte
Campaign begins with red carpet event
T
Phyllis Schwiesow accepts the Trailblazer
Award from Bill Schulte and Lee Stevens, of
the Centralia College Foundation. Phyllis has
served the board since 2001.
he Centralia College Foundation hosted its annual
campaign kick-off event, A Red Carpet Event – Welcoming
our New President, on Oct. 4 in the Michael Smith
Gymnasium. More than 250 people arrived in style to support
Centralia College students and the Centralia College Foundation.
heard from Enoch
Mbuyamba and Bailey
Peters about how the
college and scholarships
changed their lives.
This annual event marks the official start of the foundation’s
annual fundraising campaign, which has a goal of $554,000
for the 2014-15 academic year. With the addition of Centralia
College’s bachelor’s degree programs, the foundation’s focus is on
increasing scholarship funds for students.
Phyllis Schwiesow was awarded the Trailblazer Award for
meritorious service to the Centralia College Board, having served
since 2001 and chairing the Annual Campaign Committee.
Event guests were greeted with a red carpet and the flash bulbs of
friendly paparazzi. A no-host bar and silent auction preceded the
event, and guests had the opportunity to meet the new college
president, Dr. Robert Frost, and his wife, LaDona. Guests also
Finally, guests were formally introduced to Dr. Frost and learned
his vision for the college, and how the foundation can help the
college fulfill that vision.
All of the evening’s proceeds benefitted Centralia College and the
students it serves.
F
or Anna DeTray, receiving a
scholarship for her education is an
inspiring gift she hopes to someday return.
Anna
DeTray
Scholarship
Spotlight
“Always, I am astonished by the generosity
of the people in our community,” she said.
“Someday, I would like to give back to
the young people of this area by perhaps
doing the same thing – giving a student an
opportunity to attend college.”
Anna graduated from W.F. West High
School in Chehalis in 2014. She considers
herself a hard worker and credits her
parents for her academic success.
“The work ethic they instigated in my
siblings and I drove me to try to be my
best, not the best in someone else’s eyes,”
she explained.
Anna received the Hoa Van Vu
Endowed Scholarship. She plans to earn
her associate degree at Centralia College
before transferring to Washington State
University to study health sciences.
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Scholarship
Spotlights
INSIDE!
The Legacy Society – A Legacy of Giving
W
hat if you could make a
lasting and permanent
gift, one that was bigger
than you ever dreamed possible?
And, what if you could do it in a
way that honored and protected
your loved ones’ inheritance at the
same time?
Centralia College Foundation’s
Legacy Society may be the perfect
option for you. The Legacy Society
allows the foundation to thank a
very special group of people: those
who have included the foundation in
their future giving and estate plans.
Becoming a member of the Legacy Society is
simple. Visit online at foundation.centralia.edu/
trusts or call the foundation office at 360-7369391, ext., 290, for details.
As a Legacy Society member,
you are honored on a special
plaque that hangs in a prominent
place on the Centralia College
campus. Additionally, you receive
a beautifully framed certificate,
and are invited as a special guest to
special foundation events.
Good things
come to those
who
give